What We Do - Legal and Financial Services

TMCP deals with both the legal issues and financial issues relating to Methodist Church property and bequests.

TMCP Finance

Facilitate all sales and purchase of property.
Transmit funds for purchases or to meet the costs of building schemes as instructed by managing trustees.
Invest funds received from sales or bequests and allocate dividend and interest accrued.
Facilitate minor improvement work by directly paying contractors and suppliers upon instruction from managing trustees.
Provide updates in respect of total funds held on each trust.

The finance team deals with payments and investments, working closely with the Central Finance Board (CFB). Because of the large value of the monies held with TMCP, we are able to negotiate competitive rates of interest on deposit with the CFB and to access their full range of unitised funds (the current CFB unit prices can be found on our 'TMCP Schedules' page). We also deal with other unit trust companies and direct investments into the Stock Market, on behalf of individual churches.

The finance staff are currently looking at new and innovative ways of providing access to the funding information held centrally by them. At all times, they will continue to ensure the integrity of the data.

As custodian, TMCP acts on the instructions of the individual "managing trustees" (i.e: church councils, circuit meeting etc), but we are also available to advise on the interpretation of bequests and endowments and, as Custodian Trustees, liaise with the Charity Commission where appropriate.

TMCP Legal

Facilitate all sales, purchases and leases of property by church bodies.
Through liaison with managing trustees and their legal advisers, we review, amend and approve legal documents before signature by managing trustees.
This work includes the review and approval of housing tenancies, occupation licences, wayleave agreements for underground cables, easements, rights of way over church property, planning and highways agreements and sharing agreements with other churches.
Provide guidance to local churches and Circuits on a whole range of issues e.g. use of church car parks, hiring out churches for community use, how to close a burial ground, boundary disputes with neighbouring land users, duties of charity trustees and regulation issues, data protection issues, land registration and water rates issues.
Process bequests and legacies and provide advice on wills and trusts.

Under the current ‘Approvals’ scheme

TMCP performs its work in collaboration with the Methodist Council, through close liaison with the Connexional Team, which under Standing Orders gives approval for transactions, including sales, purchases and leases.

In future, under the ‘Consents’ scheme

Over the next year, the rolling out of the ‘Consents System’ will result in Districts providing consent to schemes rather than approval being given by the Methodist Council.

The web-based system will have triggers built into it to ensure that, where necessary, managing trustees are reminded that in some circumstances it would be good practice to refer to either TMCP or specialist Connexional officers. In some instances referral will be mandatory. TMCP is working with the Connexion to ensure that full guidance notes are available to assist managing trustees and their advisers. In addition, we are assisting with the initial development and testing of the system to ensure that the end product meets all needs. In order that we perform our full role as custodian trustee, it is important that, although the process is simplified, certain key stages remain in place.

Despite changes in systems, there will still be the need for close working links, on a day to day basis, with Connexional staff. We value greatly our relationship with our colleagues both here in Central Buildings, Manchester and in Methodist Church House, London.